Road trips, bathrooms and pregnancy tests
by Snoozegoof
Summary: Rachel and Hood go to Oregon, there is puking and a pregnancy scare. I'm totally awful at summaries.


**Author's note: 2nd EH Fanfic. I thought it built on their relationship a bit, and was kinda a take off of the whole 'Mr Shoes' guy in the episode Miracle. Please review and suggest stuff, I've got alot of free time on my hands and if you guys like reading it I will by all means keep writing it! Btw should I have done it in chapters? I'm totally new to this so not quite sure. I also don't own these characters... I just like to manipulate them!**

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Rachel and Hood drove in silence. He obliviously read the case file, while she gripped the steering wheel mercilessly, trying to fight off the waves of nausea that assaulted her.

They were three hours into their journey to Oregon and still barely half way there. Choking down her own saliva was becoming increasingly difficult for Rachel as began praying for a rest stop. She refused to let herself puke in front of the gorgeous scientist.

Her prayers were granted as a small convenience store graced the side of the road, a true God send in the middle of nowhere. She haphazardly stopped the car, throwing it into park mode. She half fell, half leapt out of the car and sprinted towards the side of the building where she had seen the restroom sign.

Hood, having been jarred from reading the case file for the billionth time by the sudden stop of the car, stared at Rachel, simply thinking they had gone too long without a rest stop and she had drunk too much water. Twenty minutes later though, having grown increasingly concerned, he decided to make sure she was alright.

He meandered over towards the door Rachel had sprinted to; in her hurry leaving it open slightly. The sound of violent retching and coughing immediately assaulting his ears. He stared at her form bent over the toilet for a moment, inwardly debating whether to leave her to do this private and embarrassing act alone, or to provide her with some comfort and human companionship. He knew she would later hate him for it, but God dammit she was sick. So he acted swiftly, pushing aside the door and walking in.

He grabbed a roll of toilet paper from the rusted metal rack beside the door and gently eased himself onto his knees close by, trying his best not to startle her. She could feel him beside her, hating that he was seeing her so out of control of her own body, but her stomach had stopped it's traitorous heaving since he had arrived, his presence easing some of her anxiety.

When she finally trusted her stomach enough to sit back, Hood noticed her sheet white pallor and misty eyes.

"Rachel, why didn't you tell me you were ill?" He asked quietly, not wanting to speak too loudly, knowing she probably had a headache. He watched as her hands clenched into fists in her lap, and her glassy blue eyes fought back tears when she raised her gaze to meet his.

"Hood, I…" She began, before dwindling off. All the dread and fear that she had pushed back these past few days assaulted her at once and she began to tremble lightly. But his hazel eyes told her that it was alright, she could confide in him, the man she had worked with through many challenging cases, had come to know his eccentricities and personal sorrows, this was a person she could trust, she knew he was there for her.

"I…I don't think I'm sick." She stated shakily, watching his eye brows draw up in confusion.

"Rachel, its ok, being sick isn't a weakness, everybody gets sick." He was misreading this, thinking she simply didn't want to be thought of as incapable of doing her job; he fully understood that doing her job well meant almost everything to her.

"No, Hood…I'm…I'm late." She mumbled, stumbling over the confession. He stared at her with knowledge out of having had a wife, appreciating what a personal thing she had just shared with him. He moved his hands to rest on top of hers, gently massaging with his thumbs in an effort to reassure her.

"How late?" He asked softly, now deeply concerned. If he ever met the man responsible for this false alarm…or for this baby, he would personally string him up for not being more careful with her. Though she was most likely also partially responsible for not being prepared with some form of protection or misusing it, he couldn't bring himself to blame her.

"Four days." Was her barely audible answer. He sat back on his haunches, brow furrowed.

"That's not terribly late." He stated, his mind occupied with trying to remember all the aspects of that part of female anatomy, some flashbacks of his wife's false alarms, and happy tears turned sad threatened to take his focus off Rachel, but he fought them off. She needed him right now.

"I'm always…well you know…" Oh God, she couldn't believe she was actually having this conversation with him. A rush of pink color flowed back to her pasty face, improving her pallor. Still, it shocked her that she felt more at ease with Jacob Hood than she had with her own mother when it came to this topic.

"Ok…do you want to take a pregnancy test?" He asked cautiously, not wanting to upset her, or worry her more than she had already accomplished on her own.

She made no movement for a few moments, thinking long and hard about whether she wanted to do this on her own or with Hood, and whether or not she wanted to wait a little while longer, maybe this was just the flu. But the rational Rachel kicked in and told her she did indeed want to do this now, so she could have a definitive answer and not have to be distracted while working this case. And then there was the other part of her, the part that desperately wanted Hood there, the part of her that actually wished that they were going through this together, the part that, no matter how irrational, wished he was the father. With her decision made, she looked up at him and slowly nodded her head.

He once again grabbed the toilet paper that sat behind him. Ripping off a piece he gently wiped her mouth, he then reached behind her with strong arms and helped her to stand up, supporting her slightly since she was still dizzy and wobbled on her feet. They stood for a moment before he was sure she wasn't going to get sick again, he then stepped back and flushed the toilet to her great embarrassment. _Well,_ She thought, _he saw me puke my guts out, why shouldn't he also see them swirl down the toilet?_

Hood resumed his place beside Rachel as he helped her out of the bathroom; she surprised him by allowing him to support part of her weight as they walked. Although a lot of things had surprised him this afternoon: the fact that she had confided such a massive source of personal angst, the fact that they had grazed the topic of menstrual cycles, and of course, that she hadn't pushed him away…the last one feeling like the biggest compliment he would ever receive from Rachel. She trusted him, and he was immensely proud of that.

They made their way to the car at a gentle pace. Hood placed Rachel in the front seat, leaving the door open so she could get some air, and headed into the convenience store. He made his way through the store quickly, gathering Gatorade, some bland crackers and two pregnancy tests, one digital and one with the lines, knowing she would want to be sure…whichever way this panned out. He also asked for two plastic bags, just in case she got sick in the car, although, she had vomited for a good twenty minutes, so he was fairly certain there wasn't anything left. He payed and made his way back to their black SUV.

In the time he had been gone she had fallen into a deep sleep. Not wanting to wake her, figuring she hadn't gotten much sleep with all she had one her mind, he gently leaned over her and buckled her seat belt, placed the plastic bag in her lap, and lightly shut the door. He inputted the name of their hotel into the navigation system and settled in for the long drive ahead.

Four and a half hours later, he pulled the car into a parking space in front of their hotel. Hood left Rachel in the car while he went to check them in. When he got back she was rubbing her eyes, having woken up. She was still a ghastly shade of white, but her eyes assured Hood that the sleep had helped some.

"Hey." He said warmly, leaning against the side of the car as she got out and stretched her legs.

"Hi." She said back, appraising his tall form, his curly black hair, grey sweater and dark wash jeans…he was extremely handsome. She felt her cheeks flush slightly at the thoughts going through her head. Hood noticed this and mistook it for the heat.

"Come on, our rooms are this way." He said, leading the way. He wanted very badly to carry her bag for her, but knew that would only make her feel worse and even more out of control. They didn't even know if she was really pregnant yet, no use in making her feel like she was. They reached their adjoining room, and Rachel, as always cleared every corner before she let hood walk in. He felt guilty that with all she was going through she still had to look after him.

Hood pulled out the Gatorade he had purchased earlier and handed it to Rachel, who was now sitting in a chair with her laptop out gathering info on the case. She looked up at him and then eyed the bottle apprehensively.

"You have to stay hydrated Rachel. And it will certainly help with the test." He tried not to sound too serious about peeing on a stick. But then again that little stick could very well hold her future on it after it had been christened, it may even hold his as well, depending on what she decided to do. He tried very hard to keep his thoughts away from the fact that he might lose her.

Half an hour later, having been able to successfully hold down a full bottle of Gatorade, Rachel stood up. Sensing her movement Hood dropped the medical file he had been reading on one of the victims and reached for the bag beside him, pulling out a box containing one of the pregnancy tests. He stood as well, moving closer to her. He held out the box in one hand, and when she reached out to take it he noticed her hands were trembling. He reached forward cautiously and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and cradling her in his embrace. She didn't fight him, she felt safe and warm there, safe enough to let a small tear trickle down her cheek and into his sweater.

"It will be ok Rachel, I promise, whatever happens, we'll deal with it, together. You're not alone in this." He sought out her eyes with his, and she saw the absolute sincerity there. She knew he would help her in whatever ways he could, and that he would be there no matter what, to support her through it all. He gently pulled back and nodded his head in the direction of the bathroom. She cautiously made her way there, turning in the doorway to face Hood, who leaned against the wall just outside the doorframe.

"I'll be right here." He said reassuringly, though his own heart was hammering wildly, waiting for the result and the changes this day may very well bring. With that comment she shut the door behind her.

Five minutes later Rachel stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, holding the test in her hand. Hood waited outside, now sitting against the wall, after his legs had begun to shake nervously. He didn't understand his reactions to her. Yes she was beautiful and smart and kick-ass tough, but he shouldn't feel this way, he shouldn't want this scenario to be flipped; he shouldn't want her to be jumping with joy at the possibility she might be pregnant. He shouldn't want that to be their baby.

The door creaked open as Rachel walked out. Hood stood immediately, pushing his own thoughts aside. He needed to hear the outcome, needed to be prepared to comfort her and to be there for her…whatever she needed.

Rachel walked up to him feeling thoroughly exhausted. She placed her slender hands on his hips and stared at his chest, he placed his hands on her shoulders and rubbed to ease the tension there. She looked up into his caring green-brown eyes, and gently shook her head…no.

Tears had started rolling down her face, tears she couldn't quit place, tears of relief maybe…but also tears of disappointment. Before she knew it she was held in Jacob Hood's safe and warm embrace once more, he was picking her up gently and carrying her to the bed, placing her softly on top of the spread and lying down next to her, holding her, letting her cry it out. In his arms she fell into a deep and restful sleep.

Hours later, by now the sun was once again up, when she finally woke and went to the bathroom she got the sure fire confirmation that she was indeed not pregnant. After waking Hood and collecting the things that would be needed for the case they set out to meet Felix at the hospital.

"Hood, we just need to stop at the drugstore first." She said somewhat shyly, after all they'd been through the past two days saying this still made her blush feverishly.

Hood crossed to the door and held it open for her…a knowing smile gracing his lips.


End file.
